MSU Student Reacts To Accused Rapist Escape

Montana State University personnel confirm Briggs was a student at the intuition.

"Kevin is facing serious allegations both criminally and at the institution," said Matt Caires, MSU Dean of Students.

Kevin Briggs enrolled at MSU in the fall of 2010. He was studying engineering and was a member of the honors college.

Julia Goldberg was in several classes with Briggs. She was shocked when she heard he escaped from the Gallatin County Law and Justice Center on Saturday and had a previous criminal record that includes convictions of rape.

"I was really freaked out that somebody I saw almost every day was capable of doing something that like," said Goldberg.

Goldberg said she never spoke to Briggs, but remembers what he was like in class.

"He would sit in the front row and ask very direct questions all the time. He would always seem to get very aggressive, so some of the teachers didn't really him," said Goldberg.

Every student who applies to MSU has to answer yes or no to a series of questions about their criminal background including if they have ever been convicted of a felony.

"We reserve the right to deny an individual enrollment based on their criminal background if it becomes clear to us that they preserve a threat to our community," said Caires.

If they respond yes, they must provide additional information on the crime.

Then, a committee will review the crime and make a recommendation to the Dean of Students and the Dean of Students will approve or deny the applicant's admission.

"We look at the nature of the crime," said Caires. "We look at how long they went to jail for. We also look at how long it's been since they have been incarcerated and if they had any treatment while they were incarcerated or beyond."

Caires was not the Dean of Students when Briggs was accepted to MSU, but said the university does its best to make sure the environment of the campus is safe for all employees and students.

"At time bad things happen, but we do everything we can to prevent that," said Caires. "There is no way that we can guarantee that bad things won't occur."

Bozeman Police tells ABC/FOX Montana the department's entire detective division is following up on all leads both in Gallatin County, across the state and outside the state.

If you have information of Briggs whereabouts, please call local law enforcement immediately.